Eero Tiittula
Flamin’ Martians – A retrospective of the nonexistent
Galleria Huuto Jätkäsaari 1
14.9.–29.9.2013
NOTICE: New opening hours: tue-sun 12-17
………………………………………………………….
Flamin’ Martians – A retrospective of the nonexistent
The curator’s words
My first encounter with the Flamin’ Martians was in Glasgow in early 2008. I was earning my weekly lunch money as a living statue when someone handed me a deep-fried disc wrapped in a greasy flyer. During the next three years I spent in Scotland, I began to compile an overall view of the Flamin’ Martians through occasional observations and discussions. A retrospective of the nonexistent is mainly based on my notes and documentation from Glasgow.
The Flamin’ Martians are characterized by contradiction. They dissociate themselves from visual arts but utilize artistic expressions extensively. They do not sign their flyers and their graffiti does not include tags, but the members wear leather jackets with a logo. The Flamin’ Martians deny their existence but leave signs behind and make claims about their existence even though the signs seem to lead to nowhere. What they do is both ironic and serious and their activities target various areas that are mainly associatively linked to each other.
This contradiction poses a challenge to the curator. A retrospective is usually expected to link together a variety of developments, to tell a coherent story. The Flamin’ Martians avoid the Aristotelian dramatic structure: the beginning is not known, the end does not exist and the confusing middle does not help you understand either one. The fragmentation and inconsistency that the curator has to resort to does, however, reflect the experiences and mindset from which the Flamin’ Martians has grown.
The Flamin’ Martians are above all a manifestation of the 21st century counterculture. Behind the pseudo-religious rhetoric and symbolism, one can see a purely agnostic ideology that turns its back on all kinds of fundamentalism. The Flamin’ Martians aim for a utopia (i.e. the nonexistent) consciously in the literal sense. The aim is to keep the movement going avoiding purism which leads to the disappearance of discussion and openness.
Eero Tiittula
I wish to thank Maija and Solja for their inspiration. I also wish to thank the Finnish Art Society and Pertti Tiittula for their financial support. Finally, I wish to thank Mary Wintour and Arron Sands for the discussions and John Miller for borrowing his Flamin’ Martians jacket.
